Report of CBM Italy Trip – 6th to 10th October 2004
This October saw a very different trip to Italy, with only two Christadelphians from the UK on the team. The rest consisted of a Bro. from Rome and Australian Bre. and Sis. visiting relatives, on holiday, or on round the world trips. My father, Bro. David and I arrived on the Wednesday and met with Bre. Jono, David and Shem from Sydney, Bro. Pat and Sis. Cathy from Adelaide and Bro Naizghi from Rome. We were joined in the evening by Bro. Roshan who lives and works in Verona who had very limited time off work but we were all able to enjoy fellowship and a breaking of bread with him in the evening. On Thursday we all went to Sis. Betty’s (an 84 year old UK born sister who married an Italian) in Vangadizza. We had a shared lunch, followed by a breaking of bread, led in exhortation by Bro. Jono. We spent the afternoon sharing fellowship with Sis. Betty around the Word of God and talked with her about how she had come to live in Italy and her life experiences.
Friday was a busy day, and we split into two teams. Four of us went to see Richard Panting, the son of English Christadelphians, in Padova (a little to the west of Venice). Richard was keen to share the daily readings with us and we spent well over an hour reading and discussing them all. We shared a meal together, talked further and Richard and Bro. Naizghi treated us to a few musical tunes on the accordion and guitar including ‘Amazing Grace’. The rest of the team attempted to meet with contacts, but were not able to on this occasion, so went fly-billing and house-billing in Verona and in Desenzano del Garda on Lake Garda, where there has been no preaching for 20 years. We used new bills advertising our new website (www.italianocristadelfiani.org) offering correspondence courses and information, which we hope to substantially develop upon improving our Italian. After meeting with Richard, the first team went to meet our Ghanian Bro. Foster and his interested landlady Rosaland in Castiglione delle Stiviere (just south of Lake Garda), and had a breaking of bread with Foster, led in exhortation by Bro. Simon. We shared a simple meal by our hosts who were keen for us to stay and talk. Rosaland is currently progressing through the correspondence course. Foster is seeking work in Italy to provide for his wife and 3 children back home in Ghana. It was a long day, but many of great opportunities for preaching and fellowship were had.
On Saturday, we met early with Isaiah, an interested friend from a Pentecostal church in Verona, who has completed the initial correspondence course, and seems to believe similar things to us, but has difficulties with understanding the work of the Holy Spirit today. Isaiah is now receiving the 40 lesson correspondence course to continue his search for truth. Four Bre. and Sis. stayed behind to fly-bill in the outer areas of Verona, while the rest went to Modena and met up with Prince Nnanna, an interested Nigerian contact, to talk about the Bible. In keeping with the musical nature of our trip, Prince sang us a hymn to the words of Phillipians 3 in the park where we met him. He currently believes in the immortality of the soul, but we had good discussions about this and showed him what scripture says. We also covered the promises to Abraham, how this links into the New Testament and relates to us. We also discussed his understanding of heaven, the establishment of God’s Kingdom and where this will be, the need for adult baptism and other key doctrines. He subsequently agreed to do the basic correspondence course. Our friend and contact of three years Pier Luca and his girlfriend then met with us for the evening, and although he has not progressed far, he became enthusiastic and will be taking up the correspondence course. We encouraged him of the importance of being fed from the Word of God on a daily basis.
On Sunday, we said our goodbyes to Pier Luca and did readings together as a team, then departed for home or continuation of trips. It was a very successful trip in terms of progress since four of the five contacts are now receiving the correspondence course. It was a pleasure to spend time with Bre. and Sis. from different countries, to share fellowship, exchange preaching ideas, and spread God’s truth to the men and women of northern Italy. We pray that our Heavenly Father will continue to strengthen our Bre. and Sis. in isolation, encourage our contacts that seek truth and bless our preaching work in this country “until he come”.